This year, TK Maxx is one of the first UK shops to start stocking Halloween items, with some for sale in store and online. Their range so far includes glass, ceramic and paper pumpkins, spooky ornaments and candleholders, tea towels and snowglobes.

You can buy candles designed to drip artfully. The ones I've seen and bought were marketed for Halloween and to lovers of spooky decor. Red on the inside, and black or white outside, they are supposed to give the impression of blood streaming down the candle as it melts. I tried a few.

Dreaming of a black Christmas? If you aren't prepared to ease off on the spooky life for the festive season, you have a few options for your tree in the form of gothic baubles by Killstar and other brands.

Yankee Candle is one of the best known producers of scented candles for the home, selling worldwide. Their catalogue of available fragrances changes with the seasons, and for the past few years they have included a Halloween selection.

If you think you'll be celebrating Halloween every year, it's nice to buy some decent quality tableware which can be reused over and over again. Lighweight and affordable Melamine plates, bowls and cups are a good option when you have young children.

Ornaments and figurines aren't just the rosy-cheeked, pastel-coloured porcelain statues you see on the Antiques Roadshow. There are plenty of modern decorative items which would suit a dark home perfectly. Nemesis Now has a huge range to choose from.

Houseplants can lift the mood of a room as well as adding decorative interest. If the mood you're aiming for is on the dark side, however, you might want to look for dark houseplants. They can really stand out in a room, especially when they're positioned against lighter-coloured walls.